


The Diner

by in_way_too_deep



Series: K.A.R. [1]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Endings For Everyone, M/M, Multi, Soft Joseph Kavinsky, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 00:02:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16799689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/in_way_too_deep/pseuds/in_way_too_deep
Summary: Ronan, Adam, and Kavinsky have been dating secretly for a while, but they brave a first date at a hole in the wall diner. It's all just pure fluff.





	The Diner

It was verging on one in the morning on a Wednesday night, but Adam wasn’t working, studying, or sleeping like usual. No, he was in a diner outside of town with Joseph Kavinsky and Ronan Lynch, and he was hopelessly in love. This was nothing new, they’d been dating for long enough to accept the permanency of their relationship, but it was still something special. The depth of Adam’s love for his boyfriends hadn’t waned at all and, if he was less scared of jinxing the future by expecting more than he deserved, he would have believed that the feeling would never dull.

This fountain of adoration was the only reason he agreed to be out so late when he had school the next morning. Apparently, emotional Adam was much less sensible than pre-relationship Adam. Even so, had it just been a feeling of love motivating Adam, he could have told Ronan and Kavinsky to wait for a more reasonable time to go to night breakfast, or to go without him, but their reason for wanting to go at such an odd time convinced Adam to sacrifice sleep.

They’d been dating for multiple months, but this was the first time they’d had an official date. Mainly they’d stayed in and worked on forming their relationship behind closed doors. The fact that they were out now said a lot about the seriousness of the whole thing. The fact that it was Kavinsky’s idea showed the depth of Kavinsky’s feelings in particular. While it hadn’t necessarily been Kavinsky holding them back from going out, what with Ronan’s general dislike of public outings and Adam’s hectic schedule, it had been fairly obvious that he would have protested had Adam and Ronan suggested it. Kavinsky wasn’t ashamed of Adam or Ronan and, thankfully, Adam and Ronan knew him well enough to understand this, but he wasn’t comfortable with his sexuality. More to the point, he wasn’t comfortable admitting his sexuality to anyone outside his immediate circle. Adam had hopes that one day this would change, but he understood he couldn’t force the issue.

Thus, the clandestine outing was due to Kavinsky’s desire to show his love for his partners in public warring with his inability to fully accept himself. An out of the way diner, in the middle of the night, met their needs. Not only were there only a couple other patrons in the 24-hour restaurant but the wait-staff was completely apathetic (whether this was due to the late hour or the monotony of the job, Adam couldn’t tell). The problem with their situation lied in the fact that, because Kavinsky wasn’t ready to be publicly affectionate, Adam couldn’t tell if Ronan’s behavior was a result of his respect for Kavinsky’s limits or a manifestation of his own limits. Adam puzzled over this but determined that, as long as they were comfortable and happy, there was no need to question it.

It was easy for Adam to just go along with whatever they wanted because he had no strong feelings either way. While he cared about what people thought of him in general, he didn’t care what they thought of his sexuality or relationship. He was more concerned with judgements on his abilities and upbringing rather than who he loved. Love was such a new and wonderful experience that no one’s prejudices could make him feel negatively about it. All the same, Adam knew and appreciated that Ronan and Kavinsky had different internalizations of their own issues.

For all Adam complained of the late hour and distant location, he appreciated that Ronan and Kavinsky looked relaxed. Ronan was sitting on the left of Adam while Kavinsky was taking up as much space as possible on the opposite booth, a familiar configuration that allowed Adam to hear their conversations without much trouble. If anyone asked, he’d say he regretted the foresight and that he wished he was not privy to Ronan and Kavinsky’s bickering, but he would have been lying. One of Adam’s favorite pastimes was listening to his boyfriends’ inane arguments. Currently they were heatedly debating the merits of pancakes over waffles. Their debate wasn’t winning any awards for intellectual propriety, but it was certainly fun to listen to Ronan feverently defend pancakes against Kavinsky’s equally staunch position.

“Pancakes.”

“Waffles.”

“Pan Cakes.”

“Walf Fells.”

Ronan scoffed. “Pancakes taste better. End of story.”

Kavinsky shook his head in faux-pity. “Classic Lynch. It’s adorable you think you’re right.”

The face Ronan made in response to Kavinsky’s comment somehow conveyed the sentiment behind the childish gesture of sticking one’s tongue out and combined it with the attitude of flipping someone off. He then turned to Adam to end the argument. “Pancakes or waffles.”

Adam rolled his eyes and slid his menu away. “I’m getting eggs.”

Kavinsky booed at Adam and Ronan muttered “cop out” under his breath, but Adam’s response had successfully changed the topic to more neutral territory.

The waitress must have had some sort of psychic prowess because the moment their conversation grew tamer, she seemed to apperate out of thin air to take their order. “Hi, is everyone ready to order?”

Kavinsky took the opportunity to blatantly check her out and looked at her salaciously before responding tackily. “I’m always ready for someone as sexy as you.” 

Ronan prevented Kavinsky from saying anything more by kicking him roughly under the table. Still, the waitress looked thoroughly unimpressed, so Adam took pity on her and ordered for everyone. “One order of pancakes, one waffle, and a plate of eggs please.”

While Adam’s civilized behavior didn’t completely make up for Kavinsky’s behavior it did seem to help some, and she wrote down their orders and left with the promise of speedy service.

As soon as she was out of sight Ronan and Adam gave Kavinsky matching looks of disapprobation.

Kavinsky held up his hands in surrender. “Force of habit man, no need to get violent.”

Ronan was willing to let it go with a single statement of disapproval. “She’s going to spit in our food now dumbass.”

Adam however, braved addressing the real issue. He sighed and spoke quietly. “You know we didn’t have to come out K, right? I’m fine with keeping everything private for as long as you need.”

Ronan nodded his agreement and for a moment Kavinsky looked between them with a vulnerable look in his eyes, but it was hidden nearly as quickly as it appeared. It was obvious he was about to try to deflect the seriousness of the moment with a joke, but he bit his tongue as Adam’s raised eyebrow and swallowed before responding. “Yeah.” He turned his attention to the sugar packets and flicked through them. “Sorry.” His eyes briefly met Adam and Ronan’s before looking away again. “I want to be here.”

Adam rewarded Kavinsky’s rare display of vulnerability with one of his own. “Me too.”

Ronan jumped on the bandwagon briefly, saying “same”, before defusing the emotionally charged atmosphere. “When did we become so gross?”

Kavinsky smirked. “Don’t even front man. You _love_ this sappy shit.”

Ronan scoffed but his words didn’t match his tone. “I must love something to put up with all this B.S.”

Adam’s heart swelled at the Ronan-esq affirmation. Kavinsky obviously felt the same, but he showed it in his own, special, way. “Gaaaayyy.”

Flicking a sugar packet at Kavinsky’s face, Ronan responded equally maturely. “You’re one to speak.” He then tried to imitate Kavinsky’s particular cadence. “ _Ooohhhh, you’re so sexy. I’m_ definitely _not compensating for_ anything.”

Thankfully Kavinsky saw the humor in the comment and simply responded by picking up a few sugar packets and chucking them at Ronan. Adam, after being hit by a stray packet, forced back a laugh and affected a serious tone. “Guys. You’re dating. You’re _both_ gay.” When they looked at him Adam shook his head and spoke under his breath for dramatic effect. “Why I have to keep reminding you though is beyond me.”

At his boyfriends matching petulant glares Adam laughed and shooed Ronan out of the booth to go to the bathroom, chuckling slightly as he left.

When he was out of sight Ronan and Kavinsky locked eyes and shared mischievous looks.

“You thinking what I’m thinking Lynch?” Kavinsky took out an excessive number of sugar packets and laid them dramatically on the middle of the table.

Ronan smirked knowingly but played along. “I don’t know K. What _are_ you thinking?”

Kavinsky smiled viciously. “I’m thinking Parrish is a little salty tonight.”

Grabbing some of the sugar packets, begging to tear them open, Ronan grinned. “We could help him out.”

Kavinsky nodded sagely. “Really, it’s our duty.”

They then started dumping the sugar packets into Adam’s water cup, stirring it to ensure it looked normal, laughing, like the high-schoolers they were, the entire time. By the time Adam had returned, Ronan and Kavinsky had managed to put six sugar packets in his drink, dispose of the evidence, and kill their laughter.

Adam, who was not in fact new to Ronan and Kavinsky’s antics, didn’t buy their act for one minute, but their food arrived before he could question them. The suspicion was shoved to the back of his mind by the tempting aroma of food and he soon forgot his trepidation. The food also gave Ronan and Kavinsky something to focus on and allowed them to remain impassive.

Their experience and focus on their food kept them from giving themselves away by glancing at Adam’s glass, but they were prepared for the moment Adam took a large drink. Kavinsky and Ronan gave up the charade and stared expectantly at Adam, waiting for him to spit out his drink. 

But Adam who, despite popular belief, was the most hardened of the three, just swallowed nonchalantly. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and delivered a piercing stare at Ronan and Kavinsky. They were obviously waiting for him to react so he simply steepled his hands and pointedly quirked an eyebrow.

At first Ronan and Kavinsky tried to appear chagrined but Kavinsky soon gave up and cracked a lean smile. “Damn Parrish. Didn’t know you were a killer.”

Adam pursed his lips and rose his other eyebrow in judgement. “I’m not. I just have the patience of a saint.”

Ronan rolled his eyes. “Don’t be a baby. Take mine.” He then switched their drinks without waiting for a response and took a sip and winced.

It was then Kavinsky’s turn to roll his eyes. “Shut up Lynch.” He then snagged the drink and drank normally. He didn’t show any negative response to the taste at all. If anything he seemed pleased at the development.

Ronan and Adam, reasonably, looked appalled. Ronan voiced his thoughts on the matter first. “How the fuck can you drink that shit? Did you plan this?”

Adam piled on. “More to the point; how are you still alive if you drink like that?”

Kavinsky dealt them a mischievous look and proceeded to open another sugar packet and poor it directly into his mouth.

Ronan made a gagging noise and shoved his now empty plate away in disgust.

Adam similarly glad to have finished his dinner (breakfast?) confiscated the remaining sugar packets and rubbed his temples as if trying to rid himself of a particularly persistent migraine. “You eat like a five-year-old.” He eyed Kavinsky’s plate, which consisted of the remainder of a waffle with whip cream and chocolate sauce, pointedly.

Nodding exaggeratedly, Ronan agreed. “Seriously. It’s concerning. You should be five hundred pounds by now.”

Kavinsky laughed and ran his finger over his plate and licked the remaining whipped cream off a raised middle finger. “Sorry to disappoint boys.”

This was the image the waitress was met with when she returned to give the table their tab. “Pay at the counter whenever you’re ready. Have a good night.” It was obvious that, had she not been required to add the last nicety, she wouldn’t have. Surprisingly Adam couldn’t find it in himself to be upset. He knew what he’d signed up for when he agreed to date Kavinsky and Ronan and he had no regrets. And, if he was being honest, he was expecting the night to end poorly, so he was pleasantly surprised by their good mood.

When they piled into the BMW Adam realized he finally understood what people meant when they said they were ‘love struck’. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his boyfriends. Maybe he could even be convinced to return to the shitty diner on the edge of town in the dead of night; as long as it was with two broken boys with fire in their eyes and endless love in their chest.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a whole alternate universe established with this pairing and multiple pages of different fics in said universe, but I haven't put them up because I've been worried about the reception. Let me know what you think/if you want anything more and I can open that can or worms up again!


End file.
